North Kazakhstan Region Court Chair Accused of Fraud

The National Security Committee has confirmed that a senior judge in North Kazakhstan has been arrested on fraud charges, responding to an official inquiry from Orda.kz.

The case involves Bekbol Baimakhanov, the North Kazakhstan Region Specialized Interdistrict Economic Court Chair. He is currently in custody.

Baimakhanov was apprehended in December 2024 while allegedly accepting a $15,000 bribe in exchange for a ruling in favor of one party in a court case.

The case, which initially began as a bribery investigation, has since been reclassified as fraud.

The pre-trial investigation is under Article 190 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Fraud - Ed.). On December 21, 2024, the court sanctioned a preventive measure in the form of 'detention in custody' the National Security Committee's response states.

Citing the ongoing investigation, the security agency declined to provide additional details.

Baimakhanov, who assumed his role as economic court chairman in 2022, previously served as a judge in Pavlodar region's Aqsu city court and held positions in both the Ministry of Education and Science and law enforcement agencies.

Original Author: Dinara Bekbolayeva